Mass Effect: Intervention
by drovenmad
Summary: Shepard is back from the dead and primed to go after the collectors. Now she needs to gather a team and hit them hard. There are some new face, some old friends and even some unexpected arrivals and Allies. How will the newcomers from the Girm Dark 4st Millennium effect the way of life in the Mass Effect universe?
1. A new fight begins with a new Crew

_AN: Okay so this is the story that has been eating away at me for months on end as I tried to figure out how just to go about actually writing it. Finally I have come to a decision about the way to go about it. So I can start._

 _I hope to keep this updated as regularly as I can, as for the moment it will follow the plot of ME2 and into ME3 though dialogue, order and possibly some events may be changed to better suit the story that I am trying to tell._

Oh and this was inspired by "The mission stays the same" an amazingly well written MEx40K crossover that I would recommend to anyone who is into the idea of these two worlds being crossed, and it is ultimately much better than anything I could ever hope to write.

Having said that I do hope you enjoy my story. The first chapter is ME setup, the second will be 40K setup and the third will be the start of the crossover, you will also probably see the chapter length increase at that point as well.

* * *

 **Normandy SR-2, Undisclosed location**

* * *

The airlock of the Normandy opened to reveal its, up until recently deceased, Captain. Commander Lillian Shepard, she was still wearing her hard suit from the mission on Freedoms Progress, electing not to remove it whilst still wandering around a Cerberus base. She knew that it seemed rather idiotic to place such little trust in those who had just spent two whole years and god knows how many credits to piece her back together. Yet she could not shake of a feeling that she had about the organisation. She remembered the experiments they had uncovered two years ago when chasing Saren, she recalled the callous nature the Cerberus scientists were willing to throw aside their humanity as long as it got results. It was this very lack of humanity that Lillian could not understand, no matter how hard she tried. To some point she was very good at seeing the other point of view, something her mother had taught her at a young age was to understand the other side. This was why she could understand why people supported the ideals of groups like Cerberus and Terra Firma. She personally did not agree with them, but she could understand why some people could feel they way they do.

After all it had been less than three decades since first contact. A first contact that had not been the most peaceful of scenarios, and it had quickly highlighted to many people that humanity was not only not alone in the universe but this galaxy alone was full of threats to the sovereignty of the people of Earth. Almost overnight organisations such as Terra Firma had seemingly appeared out of the civilian population, many of the immediate backers were friends, families and even some soldiers who had lost people at Shanxi. An understandable knee-jerk response in Lillian's opinion, not that she had been old enough to have an opinion at the time. At the wise old age of three, the first contact war passed the youngest Shepard by without even a question being raised, and it would not be until she was much older that her mother sat her down and explained what had truly happened, not the stories that were spread around like propaganda, but the truth as she had seen it as an officer serving at the time. Her Father however never spoke of his experiences on the ground. Shepard never asked either. As a child she had asked questions and he would simply make up stories, but as she got older he became quieter and quieter on the subject, and the stories disappeared. Now a soldier herself, Lillian understood why her Father did not wish to expose his daughter to such things.

"Commander?" Came the enquiringly voice of the ship's XO, Miranda Lawson. Who was wearing what Lillian would describe as highly inappropriate attire for the crew of a starship, but it was quite possible that Cerberus worked with different regulations. "Are you alright?"

Lillian could tell that the falsified tones of concern were simply an act, Lawson was more concerned that the Lillian's cybernetics were being rejected, something she would consider a personal failure. Lillian had not known the woman for over three days, but it was already very clear what type of person she was. It was clear from the way that the woman held herself that she had great confidence in not only her abilities but also her figure. Which annoyingly Lillian could not argue, Miranda had an amazing body structure, if Lillian was unaware of the process of evolution she would have believed that Miranda was gifted by the gods, she looked almost designed.

"Just lost in thought Miranda." Lillian responded in her usual no nonsense tone. She didn't like having to act like a drill sergeant, but around these Cerberus operatives it seemed like the best idea.

"If that is all Commander please follow me." Miranda did not even wait for a response from Lillian and started to make her way into the ship and on to the CIC.

The CIC of the SR-2 was much like its predecessor only much larger in scale. The Galaxy map sat to the rear of the area with a holographic image of the ship itself present in over the forward region of the consoles. Lillian walked over to the console and for the first time studied the ship's specifications. Certain things had been clear from the outside such as the SR-2 being almost double the size of the original, not to mention the basic difference in appearance. Here however the specifications of the ship were listed, its total mass, armaments, crew compliment, cargo capacity and there were even details relating to the drive core and the stealth systems which had also been improved over the originals.

"She does seem impressive." Lillian said before Miranda could ask her if she was alright again.

"I am glad you agree, we spent over two years building her." Jacob Taylor was the person who answered her this time. "Made some seamless improvements in the process, the old girl was a prototype. Now she is true and tested."

In contrast to Miranda, Lillian liked Jacob. He was more like her, a Soldier. He was straight forward with his opinions and had made it very clear from the beginning that, whilst he did work for Cerberus, he did not trust The Illusive Man nor did he agree with many of the methods that the organisation had employed over the years. He had also been very clear that he was proud however of the work that he had done with Cerberus over his tenure. He even told Lillian about the time him and Miranda had stopped a Batarian attack on the Citadel. Something she had thanked him for since no one else had even taken notice, not even Miranda and she had been there.

"It is not the same, though you probably already worked that out just by looking at her," He continued on informing her about some of the background to the ship she was currently standing in. "The power systems and stealth systems have been overhauled with the latest technology and an extra deck for crew cabins was added. There are quite a few spare since the ship is quite capable at operating on a skeleton crew."

"But you didn't improve the weapon system or the armour?" Lillian commented as she continued to overlook the specifications. "Trust me, I was there last time. If we don't upgrade those systems we don't stand a chance against the Collectors."

"The Normandy was built to the original specification unless specified differently by The Illusive Man himself." A synthetic voice rang out over the CIC before a hologram appeared in front of Lillian. "Welcome Commander Shepard."

If she was honest this was not what she had been expecting. A crew of talented xenophobic individuals, whilst still a possibility, was currently looking less likely judging by the reactions of both Jacob and Miranda to the Quarians they had bumped into of Freedoms Progress. Neither of the two Cerberus operatives had seem phased in the slightest by the Quarians, and when spoken to they had replied how you would expect anyone to reply. Something that Lillian had been extremely grateful for since it had made securing Tali's help much easier. If anything the problem had been from the Quarians side, Prazza had been unwilling to work with Cerberus and had paid for his decision with his life, much to Lillian's regret. However an AI was not something she had been expecting from Cerberus, though now that she actually gave it some thought it did seem to fit their modus operandi of taking high risks with experiments that were usually against Galactic law.

"I wasn't expecting an AI on the ship," Lillian commented, keeping her internal musings about Cerberus' modis operandi to herself. "What do we call you and what do you do on-board the Ship? Since we have Joker I assume you don't pilot it."

"I am the Normandy's Enhanced Defense Intelligence, though most of the crew refer to me as EDI." EDI responded, the slight artificial emotion in her voice playing through. "And you are quite correct commander, Mr. Moreau's talents will not go to waste. I am simply here to offer tactical and scientifically analysis and insight. In combat I control the Cyber warfare suite."

"Glad to have you on the team." Lillian ended that conversation there, though she made a mental note to get to know EDI better later, when she was not surrounded by Cerberus operatives. "Alright, dismissed I will come and find you before we are ready to depart."

Miranda and Jacob looked at each other slightly confused.

"Shouldn't we at least give you a run-down of the basic features and changes we have made to the Normandy?" Miranda asked, as though she had been waiting for this part since they stepped onto the ship.

"Miranda I will have a look around for myself, meet with some of the crew and learn about the ship on my own. It is the best way." Lillian replied, with a smirk on her face. For some bizarre reason she was taking too much pleasure in denying the Cerberus operative the joy of showing her around. "I will find you and then we can discuss our first course of action once I have finished my tour."

"As you wish Commander." Lillian was not the only one who caught the sneer in Miranda's voice, judging by his facial expression Jacob also picked up on it.

However without another word Miranda simply walked on by the two of them and over to the elevator at the back of the CIC and stepped in. She was most likely going to her own personalized office, Lillian assumed, she was the type after all.

"Well speak to you later Commander." Jacob said to her, obviously not as bothered by not giving the tour as Miranda was. "I'll be in the armoury if you want to talk."

With that Jacob left, though he did not head to the elevator like Lillian expected, instead he headed through the door on the far right of the CIC. For a moment Lillian stood in the middle of the CIC rather stunned, wondering what idiot in their right mind decided that the CIC was a good place for the armoury. It was something that she was going to have to discuss with Miranda and Jacob and see about getting it moved, most likely down into the Cargo hold like on the original Normandy.

However that was not the first issue that was on Lillian's growing agenda. The first thing she did was head for the elevator and up to her private cabin, one of the few things on the new Normandy that she was aware of due to a quick discussion with Joker earlier in the day that had revolved around some of the new features. The pilot had been more interested in the new leather seats than he had in her private living quarters, something that she was rather thankful for if she was completely honest with herself. The last thing she needed was Joker jealous of her living quarters. But she didn't have much to worry about apparently Jokers own quarters on the new deck, whilst nowhere near as large as the private captain's cabin were apparently "substantial" even to his extreme standards.

She allowed herself a small silent laugh as she stepped out onto the small landing in front of the cabin as she thought about Joker with a small collection of model starships hanging from his ceiling like a hyperactive child with a love of starships. In many ways that was the way that she viewed Joker, he had always come through when he needed to and he could be surprisingly astute with his observations. Yet the Pilot did well in living up to his flight school gained nickname, always hiding his true feelings behind a layer of dry and often rather poor attempts at humour.

Lillian's mind was instantly removed from thinking about her pilot as the door opened and revealed her living quarters. It was a very large spacious area, especially on something as constricted for space like a starship. The main area was divided into two sections, one was designed as a bedroom like area, featuring her bed and a seating area for guests. Not that it was ever likely that she would be entertaining guests but it was nice to know she could if the need ever arose. The locker for her armour was also located in this area. The second area which sat on a slightly raised platform and was the first thing that anyone walking into the cabin would be greeted with was an office like area with a desk sitting on the right that overlooked the rest of the cabin through a glass display case. On her left was what looked like a fish tank, though there were currently no fish in the tank itself. Lillian thought that was probably for the best, she would never have any time to look after any sort of pet, even something as simple as a fish.

Silently she decided that she would have an explore around the cabin later when she had some free time, but at this exact moment the only thing that she really wanted to do was get out of her armour that was slowly becoming heavier and heavier as she realised just how tired she was. Really it was not that surprising that she was feeling so wore out, she had not slept since she had been 'resurrected' and in some ways she feared closing her eyes with the terrifying thoughts that she might never wake again. It was not something that she could hide from herself or that she could run away from forever, but she was definitely going to try and avoid it for the next few hours.

With practiced skill she undid the clips that held her hard suit in place, allowing the plates to fall gently to the floor leaving her in nothing but the skin tight under suit. Calmly she tidied the plates away, neatly packing them into the armour locker after checking each and every one of them for marks and damage. It was something that her N7 drill instructor had ironically drilled into all of his students. Armour maintenance was one of the key features that many marines choose to side step, feeling that it was too time consuming and any real damage would be detected by the ship, base or facilities quartermaster. However this was not the case for the N7 candidates. N7 operatives were expected to maintain their own equipment to the standard of an armoury officer, of course this meant that Lillian did not have to rely on Jacob to fix her armour should it become damaged, though she would probably allow him to carry out most maintenance just to so that he could keep on top of the resources used more than anything else. Once her armour was checked and cleared of any faults she finished packing it away and professionally removed the skin tight under suit. The material that the under suit was made from made it harder to remove than most people believed, as it would stick to the skin and result in turning itself inside out when removed. However the material was made so that it could be worn either way with minimal irritation to the skin, so it was not a major concern for any soldier.

All her armour cleared away she looked quickly into the wardrobe that was already in the room and stocked with standard Cerberus uniforms for her to change into. She chose the one that most of the crew seemed to be wearing, but she was going to be talking to Miranda about the clothing options as soon as she was able, and let herself appointed XO know that the Cerberus motifs and symbols were going to have to be removed from the entire ship. After all Lillian knew of the reputation that Cerberus had and she was only going to be hindered in anything she tried to do by flying that flag.

Without warning EDI's hologram appeared near the door.

"Commander, Mr Moreau is requesting that you come and speak with him before you decide on our first destination." EDI informed Lillian of her pilots request.

"Thank you EDI, I will add it to my list of things to do." Lillian informed EDI as she finished changing. "But I am going to tour the ship first and get to know some of the crew, so let Joker know it could be a few hours before I get round to him."

"Understood Commander, logging you out." With that EDI's hologram disappeared leaving Lillian on her own again.

She let out a rather large sigh and then silently made her way back to the elevator deciding to start with the most comfortable place on the ship to her, Engineering.

The door opened to the engineering deck, revealing a long corridor with windows that ran most of the length looking out on to the main cargo deck of the Normandy. Lillian could see that it was much like the original Normandy in the way it was laid out with the exception that there was no Mako, nor was there any armour lockers. However what there was docked in the cargo bay were several small shuttles. She had managed to look over some of the changes that had been applied in the two years since she had 'died' and these Kodiak's were now widely used. Not just by the alliance and other human organisations but also by the Terminus mercenary groups and even aliens were using the Human designed craft. However she had not had a chance to go over the crafts specifications so she was unaware what it was truly capable of. Though if she was honest she would probably get a better evaluation by asking the pilot over reviewing the specifications. With one final look out over the cargo bay she turned and made her way through one of the two doors that lead to the actual engineering section.

The first thing that Lillian noticed as she stepped through the doors, which looking at reminded her that she would need to speak to Miranda about having the Cerberus logo removed from everything, was the soft hum of the Normandy's beating heart. Her Mass Effect cores steady hum was like music to Lillian's ears, it felt as though it had been an age since she had last sat and listened to what she considered to be one of the most relaxing noises in the known galaxy. She simply stood and listened to the gentle pulsing on the core for a moment before she realized that she was being watched by two individuals who were currently occupying the deck. With a smile Lillian made her way over to the engineers, to introduce herself and learn more about this amazing drive core.

* * *

It had taken slightly longer than she had initially thought it would to get round the whole ship. Most of the time had been spent with her engineers if she was honest however. Both Kenneth Donnelly and Gabriel Daniels were ex-Alliance and seemed to hold no ill will towards any of their alien allies, in fact they were here because of her and her alone. That had been unexpected, but a theme she noticed as she went though the ship introducing herself to the crew. Not that the hero of the Citadel needed an introduction, but she liked to do it. It was only the mess sergeant who seemed to have any sort of trouble with aliens, though from what she could see it was not exactly a deep seeded hatred, more a mild dislike at best. It was not exactly what she was expecting from a famed Human centric organisation such as Cerberus.

What she was very appreciative of however was the support that she seemed to have from the crew with regards to her claims about Reapers and the dedication they were already showing in their desire to hunt down the collectors, as it seemed that quite a few of them had lost friends and families to the attacks already. To those that had she made a very clear promise, she would save them. And if she could not then she would make sure that they were avenged, it seemed to be what they needed to hear.

After a round of the ship, upon which she had ended up in the med bay and had been reunited with the old friend of Karin Chakwas, who had insisted on a quick check up. The results had been what she was expecting, she was in complete health. After a quick chat she headed up and spoke to her illustrious pilot who had more than a few things to say about EDI always watching over him. Shepard had reminded him that the AI was there to help and not take over. The conversation had then simply turned to a trip down what seemed to her a very short version of memory lane, because even though she wanted to spend more time talking to Joker, she needed to get Miranda and Jacob briefed on where they were headed.

Sitting in the briefing room, Shepard was going over the dossiers that had been forwarded to her by the Illusive man as she waited for the two Cerberus operatives on-board to arrive. As if on cue Jacob and Miranda walked through the door at the same time, Shepard wondered if she scared them. After all Jacob had been in the armoury which was right next to the briefing room, there was no reason from him to arrive at the same time as Miranda. Unless the two of them had wanted to arrive together as a show of force. However it was not as though it actually mattered. She waited before they were both seated, the two of them electing to take seats that opposed each other.

"I have now had a chance to look around the ship and there are a few things we need to discuss." Shepard started. Miranda's face seemed to be slightly in shock, an emotion that Shepard was sure that she was not used to feeling, on the other hand Jacob was as stoic as she expected him to be.

"Like what Shepard?" Due to Miranda's shock it was Jacob that ended up asking the question.

"Well for starters all of the Cerberus stuff has to go," She was beginning to enjoy the look of terror on Miranda's face that slowly seemed to be twisting into anger. "I don't care what it is on, doors, hull, uniforms, it all has to go. I am not flying around the galaxy with that crap anywhere near me."

"Commander I must protest," Miranda started. Shepard let out a silent sigh. She had known that Miranda would be the one to argue the point afterall. "This is a Cerberus vessel..."

"I don't care Operative Lawson. Cerberus are a known organisation, and labeled as a terrorist one at that." Shepard interrupted her. She didn't know if all the accusations thrown against Cerberus were true or not, but she knew that having the symbol on the ship was just asking for trouble. "True or not it doesn't matter. People will associate the emblem with terrorism. I don't want that, we need to get it scrubbed."

"Very well Commander..." Miranda answered through gritted teeth. "I will arrange it the next time we dock somewhere with the facilities to cater to that request."

"Good, I have other concerns but for the moment they can be left to rest." She lay the dossiers out in front of her.

"I take it we know where we are going then?" Jacob asked.

"Of the dossiers we have, I would suggest that we start with Mordin Solus, the Salarian." Miranda stated, trying to regain a direction with the conversation and some medium of control. "We need someone who can counter the effect of this Collector problem and he is just the man to do it."

"I agree Miranda, the good Doctor will make an excellent addition to the crew," Shepard smiled slightly at her XO, who made no attempt at returning the gesture.

"What about Archangel Shepard. From what I see he would make a great addition to our effective fighting force." Jacob added in his own opinion.

"Again a good assessment Mr Taylor." Shepard didn't really want to appear as though she was picking favourites, in a ways she wondered if this was what it was like having kids. "Either way we are heading to Omega first. So make sure our gear is good to go, I am not expecting it to be an easy ride."

"Aye aye Commander." Both the Cerberus operatives replied, leaving a slight smile on her face.


	2. War is his home

_**A/N: Hey all... it has been quite a while whist I wrote this chapter, and I can do nothing but apologise for this, I am sorry about that.**_

 _ **This is the first chapter in the Warhammer side, hopefully there will only be a few in the Warhammer universe as I want to considerate on the Mass Effect story and plot. But I am still anxious about posting this. I feel that writing in the 41st Millennium is ultimately much more demanding than the ME universe. So hopefully haven't upset to many fans of Warhammer in this one.**_

 _ **Once again i urge you to check out "The Mission Stays The Same" it is a fantastic fiction of ME/Warhammer and the inspiration for this story as well.**_

 _ **Final bit of ranting before I go, I will be answering reviews of previous chapters at the end of Chapters from now on. So each Chapter will have a sort A/N at the beginning nothing big, followed by a longer one at the end, probably beginning as of fourth or fifth chapter. (Third if I have to, hopefully not though :) )**_

 ** _Anyway, enough ranting, enjoy and if you do have any thoughts let me know in the reviews._**

* * *

 **Solar Vitea, Hive Aqua**

* * *

Sergeant Sebastian Koralev shifted his weight. Sitting on the damaged floor of one of the Hives broken spires was not the most comfortable of positions. Whilst it offered him a vantage point on the area it did little else. Through the sights of his Long-Las he watched the nearest Tau patrol. His cross hair danced from the head of one fire warrior to the next, examining each of them in turn before he settled on the leader. With gentle precision he settled on the center of the white helmet of the group's leader. He inhaled, and on the exhale he squeezed the trigger. There was an almost silent whine followed by a flash of white-orange light of the las weapon. there was no delay in the shot from the weapon striking the Tau leader and burrowing through his armor. It took less than a second from the Fire Warrior to hit the ground from the initial impact, dead. Koralev watched as the group splintered and slipped behind the nearest pile of rubble that could be used as cover. Yet it did not last long, from the surrounding area similar shots sprang from the windows and doorways, filling the area with the smell of burning O-Zone as the las fire vaporized the atmosphere as it passed through. The attack was over in moments, and without a single casualty for the Guard. The Tau were not as lucky, they all lay on the ground either dead or in writhing agony where they would soon pass as there was no help coming for them.

Koralev lifted his Long-Las from the ground as he sat up. There were no further xenos or heretics in the area that he could see, not that it meant his job was done. He was sure that as long as the Imperium existed there would always be more enemies that he would be required to kill. Ever since he had been deployed on this Emperor-damned planet in the back end of the Imperium he had been doing nothing but moving from hiding spot to hiding spot. Fighting the Tau was different from fighting Orks, or Heretics. If he was honest he felt that the Tau and the Guard had more in common with their combat tactics than Command would ever admit to. In reality this was the reason that they were moving from one spot to another, unlike the Orks and Heretics which would just keep charging the frontlines and into well prepared kill zones where the Guard could quite happily just cut them down with heavy weapons fire and ordinance, the Tau were more tactical.

The Tau were more likely to bombard an area with ordinance if they had confirmed Guard were lying in wait and striking from the shadows whenever they grew near. And just like the Guard they would move in and setup kill zone to trap Guard patrols. In other words, Koralev hated fighting the Tau, it was too much like having to fight himself. Had command had any sense they would have stopped these snap ambushes and let Koralev do what he wanted to do. A small team could move through the rubble of the forgotten city, just as they had been doing. Yet instead of striking at every patrol they came across they move further and further through the Tau lines until they reach the required target to end this fight. All they needed was one good shot on the Tau leader, that would end this fight. He sighed again. It would end the fight for a short period of time anyway, Koralev could guarantee that it would not be long before the Tau would return with another 'Liberation' fleet. Still he was sure the planet's populace would appreciate the respite.

"Sergeant," An inquisitive , young female voice came over his Vox unit, he grunted in response. It was the normal communication method used between him and his spotter. If she spotted anything to do with the mission it was a call to initiate the next kill, anything else was treated with a different protocol. "We have a large group of Xenos moving through the main avenue, looks like a lot more than a patrol this time."

Koralev once more pulled his Long-Las to his shoulder and looked towards the main avenue. She was right, through the gaps of ruined buildings he could see movements. Through broken windows and destroyed spires he caught his first look at the enemy, had they been Guard he would have called it a company. Hundreds of Tau Fire Warriors moving through the street in a well organized formation, flanked by the monstrosities that were Battlesuits, and their tanks that glided over any rubble in their way, unbound by the limits of threads like Guard tanks.

"By the Emperor..." Koralev whispered under his breath, there was no way that the small disorganized squad that they currently had could even hope to make a dent in that column. He switched channel on his Vox unit in order for the entire squad to hear him. "This is Koralev, all units fallback; withdraw to point Omicron."

There was a muffled acknowledgement from the units in the squad, and a more personal confirmation from his own spotter. Then he picked up his own gear, and took one last look at the Tau force through his binoculars instead of his Scope to see if he missed anything.

He had. This time when he looked at the force there was a Fire Warrior looking straight back at him. This one was not dressed in the standard uniform colours of the soldiers, his helmet was white, Koralev knew this signified that he was a squad leader, or the force leader. Though the Tau command structure was not something that he was familiar with. For a moment the two soldiers stared straight at each other. The world around them seemed to grow dark as if it was just the two of them inhabiting the entire place. The wind that rushed through the spires fell silent and the rubble that stood between them vanished. To Koralev it felt as though they were only metres away, his finger twitching on the trigger of his weapon that was slung over his chest. This Tau was challenging him, it did not matter that they were Tau and Human, it was a challenge marksmen to marksmen, Koralev was sure of that. It would not be long before the two of them would meet on the field of battle, Koralev almost started that duel now, he was ready to throw aside the binoculars, pull his rifle and shoot. He did not, he had given the order to retreat and it would be foolish of him to then engage the enemy of his own volition. Yet the decision was made for him, the Tau walked back into line and carried on his way.

Koralev let out a long sigh as he dropped the binoculars back to his side. His heart was the only thing that he could hear. The constant palpitations in his chest were louder than they had ever been, at this moment he wanted nothing more to engage that Tau in the promised duel. Feel the thrill as they both tried to outflank and out shoot the other, the true thrill of a firefight as one marksman tries to out maneuver the other. It was the true thrill that Koralev craved and battled every day to keep in check. Yet he knew that would be a mistake, as he had already dismissed the thought. He could feel it in his chest that the two of them would meet again, though next time only one of them would be walking away alive. With that final thought he turned and made his way down the spire and towards the rendezvous point.

* * *

Corporal Katysha Yuri stood in the main room of the broken spire. It was the only room in the spire that was not exposed to the elements of the world, and it was the place they had designated Omicron. It had been Koralev who had issued the retreat, though she did not know why she had not had the time to ask him before his Vox had gone dead. It was possible that he had no desire to engage the Tau force she had spotted for him, it was considerably stronger than anything else they had come up against after all and no-one in the squad was equipped to take out the Tau armour. Yet it was quite normal for Koralev to not give reasons for an order, he was not the type of man that you saw all the time, or even heard from. Out of the entire squad she was the only one that he had allowed close to him. That was only because he needed her, she was his spotter after all. She watched as the rest of the teams in the squad mingled and discussed tactics, kills or whatever else was on there minds at the time. She however was not welcome in such discussions. Koralev was not someone who believed in friends, and as a consequence the man had none, in fact he had managed to upset most of the others in the unit and had been branded as an outsider. His lone wolf attitude also meant that even though she was just his spotter she was branded by the same brush that he was.

"Yuri!" Commissar Hiran shouted over the noise of the others towards her as he walked into the room. The man was not happy, his cybernetic eye quickly scanned the room. She knew that he would be looking for Koralev, and since he had not found the man, she was the next best on the list.

"Commissar Hiran." She answered, standing up straight and saluting the man.

"What in the name of the Holy Emperor is that man thinking?" He asked. Even though the question was one that sounded rather generic it was more than clear to Yuri who the Commissar was referring to. "The enemy was right in front of him, he could have engaged and dealt a large blow."

"I don't know sir, I assume he had his reasons." She answered the Commissar to the best of her ability. Hiran was not the sort of man who suffered jokes or pranks, neither if she was honest were any of the Commissar's. The rank in itself seemed to come with the prerequisite of lacking of a sense of humour.

"You are his spotter Corporal!" The man shouts at her. Clearly he had not agreed with Koralev's chosen course of action. "One of your jobs, other than picking targets for the man is to make sure that command is informed of everything that he does."

"Yes sir," she manages to answer meekly.

"Enough," The Regiments lieutenant shouts. "It does not matter the reason Commissar, we are here. We wait for whatever information that the Sergeant has before we make our next move."

The Commissar simply grunted in acknowledgment at the order given to him by the Lieutenant, though if she was honest Yuri was more than happy for her superiors interference. Hiran was a Commissar who hated any sort of disobedience or hint of cowardness, and he did not like Koralev's more cautious approach in the final days of this campaign. The man did not seem to understand that this regiment had now fallen to platoon levels of manpower and was not capable of launching full attacks against the enemy any longer. Even had they been at full strength that was never there main goal, they were search and recon. The main task of all the Nostrian regiments was the same, they recovered information and simply caused a lot of trouble for the enemy. If Command needed Guard to hit the enemy with a solid wall of firepower they were best going to one of the combat or even the assault regiments.

Yuri was lost in her own thoughts as she watched the Lieutenant recover the information that his men had retrieved in their most recent sortie. The leader of each group, in this case usually a corporal as they were the highest ranking surviving soldiers, delivered their reports. Each report detailed the number of kills the squad had achieved along with enemy positions and movements they had observed on there recon route. The other members of her squad were looking at her, it was clear that in Koralev's absence she was more than expected to deliver the report. She knew the number of enemies killed, and she had a map with what positions and movements the squad had observed. However what she lacked was the crucial information that the Lieutenant was really after, the real reason that Koralev had requested that they all return to the last checkpoint.

Returning to a previous checkpoint was not something that they normally did unless there was no other option. It was quite simply, Nostrians moved from point to point, never returning to the same point more than once, they were taught that this just gave the enemy the chance to locate and destroy you all the more quickly.

"Corporal?... Corporal!" She was snapped out of her thoughts by the sudden shouting of the Lieutenant, she looked up and he was waiting on her report. "Whenever you are ready Guardswoman."

"Sir... " She simply stood there, the Lieutenant's face growing ever more impatient as he waited for her report. "Well-"

"That is not her duty," A gruff Nostrian voice fills the room. Everyone turns to see that the source of the voice is none other than Koralev himself, finally having returned from the field.

"It is about time Sergeant, where in the name have you been." The Lieutenant demands to know, and even though his voice still has the same edge it had when he was talking to Yuri it was not as venomous. There was almost a hint of caution in addressing Koralev, a mark of distrust, yet respect of the man's ability.

The Lieutenant would never admit it outright, but Yuri could tell that the man had feelings of respect for Koralev's abilities if nothing else, and there was also the fact that the sniper had seen far more action than the Lieutenant or the Commissar, or anyone else in the room. It was this experience and ability that had kept Koralev alive all these years, despite the number of times that he had acted against orders. Yuri sat silent as Koralev gave his report. As usual it was the most detailed and informative of all the squad leaders, his ability and experience granting him the wisdom of knowing what kind of information his commander needed, no matter their rank.

"So why did you order a retreat?" Hiran asked him, the Commissar had been waiting to ask this since the man had returned to the checkpoint. To his credit Koralev stared down the massive Commissar with no fear.

"We were in no position, nor did we have the man-power to take on a Tau logistic train," Koralev answered his superiors. "We have taken a large amount of casualties as it is, and we are all aware we cannot stay in this sector much longer. What was the point in risking my men for a few more Tau dead."

"So you could die glorious deaths in the name of the Emperor in eradicating as many of the Xeno filth as you can." The Commissar barely contained himself from shouting, "I should-"

"Enough," It was the Lieutenant that stopped Hiran's rant before he started. "Koralev is right, his squad could have done little in the way of damage to the armour in that force... however as a full regiment, we can take them."

* * *

Koralev looked at the Lieutenant, he knew exactly what the man was thinking. He wanted to prove that he was worthy of this command and not just the field promotion that he had been handed due to the situation. Koralev made his opinion clear, first of all by looking around at the remaining men of the regiment. They were tired, drained and in no real shape to fight in anything more than a small skirmish or two. However on the other hand most of the remaining soldiers now had the experience to carry out such an operation. It was something that could be done. Yet if he had been in the Lieutenant's position he would order a retreat to the edge of the Hive to join the rest of the Imperial forces and then wait for word from command.

Koralev's eyes fell on the young Yuri, he had a strange feeling in his gut that should he be unable to talk the Lieutenant out of this foolhardy decision to attack the enemy whilst in the current state they were in that she would not survive. He lingered on her for longer than was probably deemed necessary before turning his attention back to his commanding officers.

"It is suicide Lieutenant," He stated, though as usual there was no infraction of emotion in his words, this was a logical analysis. As a soldier he knew the odds were against them, and that no matter how much blind faith the others may have in the God-Emperor it would not be enough to save them from plasma fire. "We would simply be dieing without cause."

"There is always a cause," The Lieutenant rebutled, the holy fervor was locked in his words. Like the faith that so many Guard found in the darkest days that made illogical decisions. "We die for the Emperor, that is what we as guardsmen do. You will remember that Sergeant,"

Both the Lieutenant and Commissar Hiran locked eyes with Koralev, the rest of the men were to tired to really pick a side in the disagreement. They were more than happy to simply let the higher ranked members of them fight it out and then they would follow the command of whom ever was the victor of the conflict. Koralev knew he could do little to dissuade them, he had seen Commanders fall to the Faith they held before and it seems like this would be another case of sending pigs to the slaughter with the belief that an all powerful corpse a billion miles away would save them. Koralev was quite sure the Emperor had much more important things to worry about than if a small squad of soldiers on some backwards planet died fighting the Tau. Yet he would not argue, nor risk further ire from the Commissar.

"Very well then, how do we proceed Lieutenant?" Koralev asked the man, moving over next to him so that he had a clear view of the map. He looked over the map quickly, it was a street level map one that clearly marked out the area they were in. Small pieces of rubble had been added to the map each one denoting a contact point with the enemy. Finally coming down the main throughway there was a role of larger stone, denoting the convoy he had spotted.

"We need to catch them in the open," The Lieutenant stated, the man was competent enough to know that he lacked the numbers to take the formation of Tau in a straight fight, so like all Nostrian's he reverted to his most basic form of a tactical assault. An ambush. "We need to hit them as hard and as fast as we can, making sure that we do not give them the time to retaliate."

"The best idea would be to lay in wait and then hit their armour with our heavies before we mop up the ground forces." The Commissar provided his thoughts. Koralev did not like the man if he was honest, yet he respected his opinion. Hiran was a veteran of many campaigns and unlike most of the Guard he kept his head and faith. Love or loath, Koralev had no choice but to trust the man's greater experience and ability to survive.

"I agree," Koralev spoke as his eyes scanned the map in front of them, before he finally pointed to a crossroads that was not very far from their location, "Here. Saints Crossing."

With the position agreed upon by the three men they began to plan the ambush.

* * *

The plan was set, yet the sun had not began to rise on the dark and ash covered ground of Solar Vitae. Most of the men had been order to get what rest they could, they were bunkered down in any room with four walls and a roof that they could find. Koralev however sat outside watching the horizon. It was filled with flashes of orange and white. The battle raged on, even if they were not part of the fighting at this moment there brothers still fought the alien for the glory of the Emperor. To Koralev there was an innate beauty to it all, even though he understood the cost and price of war that did not really matter. To him war was simply an inevitable part of the human nature and as long as they held on to that nature they would forever be at war with all the other species that sought dominance in this galaxy. He would of course admit to anyone that asked that it was fine with him, he liked war it was clear cut, there was no grey to worry about, the enemy was on the other side of the gun and all he had to do was shoot. There was no reason to worry about the moral or ethical implications of the way they treated prisoners, for one very simple reasons. The Guard of Nostros don't take prisoners.

"Koralev," He was snapped out of his thoughts by a soft voice that spoke in almost a whisper. "You alright out here?"

He looked round to see Yuri standing behind him in the ruined room. His predatory eyes looked over her from behind his faceplate, and for not the first time he was glad she could not see. She was young, and from what Koralev had seen of her, not suited for frontline action. She would have been better suited to the safer regions of the command centers. Yet he could not deny that having her here was a moral boaster, something nice to look at.

"I am fine," He commented just as quietly.

"You should try and get some sleep." As she said this he looked back out over the ruined hive, hoping she would get the hint and go back inside. She did not, slowly she moved towards him and grabbed his arm, clearly attempting to make him listen. "Koralev-"

She was cut off. As soon as she touched him he was off the window sill and had her pinned against the wall, her arms held by her wrists above her. It was a natural reaction for him, he had not meant to hurt her. Yet he did not let go of her, he needed her to see that he was dangerous, he needed to keep her at a distance. He looked at her reaction to this. She was looking straight at him, there was little fear in his eyes, simply understanding. He tightened his grip on her wrists.

"Koralev... you're hurting me." She managed to say as her face twisted. Immediately he let her go and turned back to face the blackness.

"Get some sleep," He told her keeping his tone as neutral as he could. "Now!"

There was a moment of silence before she complied with the order he had given her. With a shuffle she slipped back inside the makeshift shelter they were all using and left Koralev on his own.

Koralev stared down at his own hands, his heart pounding in his ears. What was he about to do? He couldn't answer this very simple question. She was his spotter, his partner. Why had he done that? Why did he care? This was going to become a problem if he could not figure out why he wanted so badly to get that message through to her, that he was dangerous to be around. Yet at the same time he hand been almost happy to have held himself that close to her. He could still feel the small wrists that had been under his grip. Silently he let out a long sigh and looked out back towards the flashes of artillery fire, something that would calm him. It was going to be a long day tomorrow. Once this was over he would address the issue with Yuri, if needed he would have her transferred. It would be for the best.

* * *

 _ **Additional** **A/N: To the Annon who left me the massive 3 reviews of the metaphyisical nature of understanding Warhammer 40K and the Imperium thanks. I didn't need it being a fan and long standing player for almost 20 years but it was an interesting read anyway. I merely said above I find writing in the setting difficult, more to do with finding the right words rather than being unable to under stand it. Thanks anyway :)**_


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